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Dublin: 11 °C Wednesday 22 May, 2013

Sports film of the week: Once Brothers

Grab some popcorn, turn the lights off and join us for a Sunday night movie.

Vlade Divac.
Vlade Divac.
Image: YouTube screen grab

Released: 2010.

Director: Michael Tolajian

Classification: If you like basketball, sport, politics, history or just a sad tale of lost friendship, this is for you.

The plot: Drazen Petrovic and Vlade Divac, once close friends playing in a successful Yugoslavian basketball team, find themselves on opposing sides of the conflict when Croatia declared their independence.

A thoughtless moment in victory from Divac caused the friendship to break down. It would never be rekindled.

What the critics said: “Brilliantly exposes the mindless divisions of society that are caused by politics and war. It’s a real sad story but nicely filmed. Well worth watching.” Rotten Tomatoes.



YouTube credit:

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Comments (6 Comments)

  • Not everyone checks a movies wiki page before watching it because it delivers the facts (spoilers), I would use imdb where it doesn’t spoil the movie just gives you a briefing so this big shpeele isn’t gonna get you off the hook. Ive seen this movie and what happens to Petja is only revealed in the final 3rd of the movie. So ya you ruined it for everyone.

    Reply
    • Did you even read the imdb page ? It clearly states that he dies.

      Besides, its a documentary !!!!! Theres no such thing as spoiling it, its telling the past, not some elaborate thing of fiction !!

      It’s only revealed what happened to him so late because the film is about their relationship. Its about how they got on when they were young and not used to America and how Petja was a idol to Divac and how the war split them apart.

      Reply
    • Kevin 30/07/12 #

      Malachy, a good documentary tells a story the same as any movie. The sheer number of red thumbs that you have received should be confirmation enough that indeed – you are a clown!

      Reply
  • Brilliant show. Very touching when Divac visits the grave.

    Reply
    • Niall 29/07/12 #

      Thanks for the spoiler. Clown.

      Reply
    • Its the main ~plot~ of it. Its a documentary about him going back to his homeland.
      From the first paragraph of the films wiki page : Once Brothers (Serbo-Croatian: Једном браћа / Jednom braća) is a 2010 documentary co-produced by ESPN and NBA Entertainment for ESPN’s 30 for 30 series. The documentary is a story about the relationship of two famous basketball players from the former Yugoslavia; Vlade Divac (Serbia) and Dražen Petrović (Croatia). They were once as close as brothers, yet the war in former Yugoslavia tore them apart (since they came from opposing sides) and they no longer communicated. Petrović then died in an automobile accident, thus preventing the two friends from ever healing old wounds.[1][2][3][4]

      The majority of the film is Divac going back through his life and memories with his old friend.

      If you honestly think that its a spoiler to say someone in a documentary died then you’ve clearly never had a film ruined for you before.

      Bruce Wayne is Batman btw ;)

      Reply

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